Media centre

National media team

These numbers are for media ​use only, not for queries about membership or general enquiries about the union. If you email outside office hours, please do follow up with a call, text or WhatsApp message so you can be sure that we’ve seen.

Liz Chinchen is on duty for most of the weekend of 20/21 April. Fatima Ayad will be on media duty on Sunday afternoon.

If you’ve already sent an email, please do follow up with a call, text or WhatsApp to ensure we’ve seen. Many thanks 

Liz Chinchen E: press@unison.co.uk M: 07778 158175
Fatima Ayad E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk M: 07508 080383

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Time for MPs to stand up for public sector workers, says UNISON

Responding to the Labour Party’s move to force a vote to end the one per cent public sector pay cap, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Quite rightly, politicians of all parties have praised the efforts of public sector workers over the past few months. “This vote gives MPs a chance to show they really […]

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UNISON elects catering assistant from Northern Ireland as president

UNISON’s national executive council has elected Margaret McKee, a catering assistant from Belfast, as president at the union’s annual national conference in Brighton. Margaret has been a catering assistant at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for 38 years. She has been an activist for most of that time as well as joint chair of […]

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The Queen’s Speech has ignored the nation’s concerns, says UNISON

Commenting on today’s Queen’s Speech, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Ministers are living in a parallel universe. Years of harsh spending cuts have caused huge damage to public services across the country. “People have had enough of austerity, and want proper investment in schools, hospitals, police forces and local services. Yet there was none of this in the Queen’s […]

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Apprentices to get fairer deal under new charter, says UNISON

Apprentices working in public services are set to get a fairer deal under a charter to be launched later today (Wednesday) by UNISON. Being paid the rate for the job, high quality training and a guaranteed employment contract are among the aims outlined in the document unveiled at the union’s annual national conference in Brighton. […]

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Breakthrough for teaching assistants in Durham, says UNISON

UNISON has today (Wednesday) welcomed Durham County Council’s decision to change its plans to dismiss and rehire several thousand teaching assistants in the North East. After months of negotiations and several strikes last year, which brought the council back to the table, a revised offer has now been proposed, says UNISON. UNISON Northern regional secretary […]

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Smash the pay freeze and end austerity, says UNISON general secretary

Speaking today (Tuesday) to UNISON’s annual national conference in Brighton, general secretary Dave Prentis said: “We live in a kingdom dangerously divided into the haves and the have-nots. Some are living in misery and poverty – or even in extreme danger as we have seen last week. “The catastrophe at Grenfell Tower was the epitome […]

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Government must scrap the pay cap says UNISON, as survey shows employees are struggling

Staff providing public services are being forced to cut back on groceries, borrow money from friends or family, and even go without meals to feed their children because the government has capped their pay, according to a survey today (Tuesday) from UNISON. The survey is released to coincide with the first day of UNISON’s national […]

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New assistant general secretary and head of health appointed at UNISON

Christina McAnea has been promoted to assistant general secretary, and Sara Gorton takes over as head of health, UNISON announced today (Friday). Christina will be responsible for bargaining and negotiations across health, local government and education. She will also be responsible for the unions’ equalities work. Christina was previously head of health, a job she […]

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Unions call for a long overdue pay rise for hard-pressed council employees

Three unions representing more than 1.6 million local government employees in schools and councils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have today (Wednesday) submitted a pay claim that attempts to narrow the growing gap between declining wages and the rising cost of living. The claim for the year from next April seeks to move the […]

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UNISON comments on unemployment figures

Commenting on the latest unemployment and earnings figures, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Demand for public services continues to rise, but these figures confirm that the workforce is still being cut. “Services are being starved of funds and staff shortages mean nurses, paramedics, teaching assistants and council employees are having to work even harder, but […]

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UNISON responds to inflation rate high

Commenting today (Tuesday) on inflation hitting its highest level in nearly four years, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The soaring cost of living is hitting public sector workers hardest. “Thousands, including nurses and teaching assistants, are struggling on low wages. The government must end the public sector pay cap now.”   Notes for editors: […]

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Jeremy has inspired millions, says UNISON

Photo: Mark Pinder | reportdigital.co.uk Commenting today (Friday) on the results of the 2017 general election, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This is a remarkable result that few predicted at the start of the campaign – certainly not Theresa May. “From the outset UNISON believed that if Labour shifted the debate onto public services […]

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Mencap to pay care workers minimum wage for sleep-ins

Mencap has agreed to pay care workers above the national minimum wage for sleep-ins, following a successful campaign by UNISON. The charity has been in dispute with UNISON over its failure to pay care staff the minimum wage when providing on-call night care. Some carers had previously been paid a flat rate of £25 for a […]

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Pupils’ safety at risk as further schools cuts loom, says UNISON

School administrators, business managers and finance workers are regularly administering first aid, handing out medicines to pupils and conducting criminal record checks because of cuts in the number of school support staff, according to a survey published today (Friday) by UNISON. The findings suggest that any further reduction in their numbers – as proposed by […]

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